TikTok may be banned in the US in mid-January after the Supreme Court ruling
On 19 January 2025, TikTok is likely to be banned in the United States. The country's Supreme Court has hinted at supporting a law requiring the sale or ban of the app.
Here's What We Know
According to Bloomberg, during the hearing, the judges expressed serious concerns about national security. They emphasised the risks associated with the collection of personal data of TikTok users, possible manipulation of content, and the Chinese government's influence on ByteDance, TikTok's parent company.
The judge explained that TikTok, as a foreign company, cannot claim protection under the First Amendment to the US Constitution. At the same time, Chief Justice John Roberts noted that Congress does not object to TikTok's content itself. However, he is concerned that a foreign company is collecting data of 170 million Americans.
The Supreme Court has to announce its decision by 19 January or postpone the implementation of the law. TikTok asked to postpone the ban for the duration of the appeal process, but the court chose to hear the case.
If the law goes into effect, TikTok will disappear from US app stores. Users who have already installed the app will be able to use it for some time, but without updates, the functionality will gradually disappear.
ByteDance could avoid the ban by selling TikTok to another company approved by the US government. However, according to the company, the sale of TikTok is currently impossible because the Chinese government will not allow the transfer of the app's algorithms.
Source: Bloomberg
